The sharp pop of leather against the hardwood is a sound found resonating throughout the Rhodes Field House as the Lady Bison volleyball team prepares for their season opener tonight against the Rockhurst University Hawks.
As the 2012 season has been fast approaching, the Lady Bisons have been preparing to defend last year’s Great American Conference tournament championship with newly hired head coach Meredith Fear.
Fear, a former Lady Bison, comes in as the head coach after a strong season at York College in Nebraska, which ended in an NCCAA regional tournament appearance.
Fear said she knows that in order to carry on the recent success of the volleyball program the team must start back at the core of the sport.
“We’re starting with a lot of individual skill work, just going back to the basics,” Fear said. “You know passing, setting, hitting, all that good stuff, and then working into more team defense and team offense.”
Neither defense or offense should cause problems for the Lady Bisons this year as they are returning two of the three leading blockers from 2011: senior Bailee Graham and junior Alyssa Short, as well as junior Mollie Arnold, who was second on the team in digs last season.
As for offense, the game is about power, and Arnold possesses just that. Arnold is coming into the season looking to repeat her 2011 performance when she averaged just shy of 4 kills per set with her 474 kills last season, which ranks as the 8th best single season in Harding volleyball history.
“I expect to win [the GAC], I really do,” Fear said. “I think that we definitely have the ability for that, even the ability to go undefeated.”
Fear said she acknowledges the strength and experience that is returning to the team this year.
The Lady Bisons kick off their season today against Rockhurst University in the Pittsburg State Tournament in Pittsburg, Kan. The home opener is Sept. 4 against Drury University as the Lady Bisons take on last year’s road loss to the Panthers. The game will begin at 7 p.m. in the Rhodes Field House.
“I feel like I have a pretty realistic idea of what our expectations should be before our first match, and we’re not there yet, but we’re well on our way,” Fear said.
